The website of Author/Writer and Psychic Medium Astrid Brown. Making the most of 'YOU' i.e. how to achieve well-being and beauty from within ourselves. A truly holistic blog providing information on all aspects of psychic mediumship, spiritualism, philosophy, holistic therapies, nutrition, health, stress, mental health and beauty with a little bit of Wicca for good measure. Feeling and looking good is as much a part of how we feel inside as the outside.

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I am a great believer in Karma, but just what is it? Karma comes from the Sanskrit and ancient Indian Language with the underlying principal that every deed in our lives will affect our future life. For example, if we treat others badly during our lifetime we will have negative experiences later on in that lifetime or in future lifetimes. Likewise, if we treat others well we will be rewarded by positive experiences.

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Thursday, 17 February 2011

IMPROVING THE SKIN PART 2 HOW TO CARE FOR IT

So you know know how the skin works and it's functions and that's great when everything is in balance. However skin is a very sensitive organ but as far as the body is concerned it is a lesser important organ that the heart, lungs, liver etc, so priority is given to important organs at times of stress, whether that is emotional stress i.e. worry etc. or physical stress such as extremes of temperature and its very cold.

What we put on the skin can throw it off balance, many people use soap and water, well that's fine for your body, but our face has more sebaceous glands, is more exposed to the elements and more open to micro-organisms. Why not soap and water? well soap is alkaline and remember the acid mantle is slightly acidic, this maintains an environment where micro-organisms are less likely to multiply and if you use an alkaline product you will strip away this protective layer, making the skin more susceptible to infection. Because our sebaceous glands tend to be more active on the face, and this increase of sebum in nature's moisturiser, there may be more of a tendency for them to become blocked, if infection enters the blocked pores the result it a spot. There are a number of cleansing bars on the market and water activated cleansers around for those of you who like the feel of water on your face.

The trouble and risk of blocked pores is magnified if there is also a build up of dead skin cells. Now it takes roughly 28 days for new cells in the basal layer of the epidermis to form and be shed, this time span increases with age, as we get older our skin becomes more sluggish, if we don't cleanse our skin adequately enough a layer of dead cells sit on the surface making our complexion dull, combined with sebum these dead cells can block pores causing blackheads. Inncidently blackheads are not dirt but sebum and dead cells form a plug and oxidise causing this this discolouration. In order to keep our complexions fresh and depending on the type of skin you have exfoliation should be carried out once to twice a week, with oily skin generally twice. There are various products on the market but avoid those exfoliators that are made from ground up nutshells and husks as these can be quite scratchy and can damage the surface of the skin leading to possible infection. Rather choose a product with fine micro beads. Some exfoliators work by dissolving dead skin cells and are often fruit based containing fruit acids or enzymes, these may irritate sensitive skin so its a good idea to patch test an area before proceeding.

But before choosing what cleanser to use on your skin, you need to know what type of skin you have. Firstly normal skin is a rarity, normal skin is like the skin children have, its neither dry or oily, theres no visible pores nor shine, it has a good texture and colour, no spots, blackheads and is plump and has good elasticity. Now how many of us can say we have normal skin? Oily skin often has visible pores particularly down the 'T zone' of our faces, it becomes shiny very quickly, it is prone to blackheads and spots, its doesn't have dry, flaky patches and often has a sallow colour about it and make up slides of the face quite quickly. Dry skin, has no obvious pores, doesn't have a tendency to blackheads or spots, can have flaky itchy areas, often feels tight after cleansing and a tendency to line and can often be more highly coloured. Combination skin is by far the most common type of skin, it often has an oil 'T zone' with normal, if your lucky outer areas or dry cheeks. It is a combination of either of the aforementioned types. So you have 4 skin types. Now if only it was that simple but the skin has different conditions that affect it. Firstly moisture, it may surprise you to know that even oily skin can become dehydrated as this is down to moisture content in the skin and not oil. Central heating, changes in temperatures, windy weather and not drinking enough water, too much coffee, tea and cola drinks and alcohol all affect our skin and can lead to dehydration. Oily skin favours better than most as sebum can trap some moisture but not enough to prevent moisture loss. So its important you keep yourself hydrated and drink plenty of water to start with and use the correct moisturiser for your skin type. Moisturiser does what it says, its job is to trap moisture in the skin, with dry skin moisturisers, they generally are more oil based than one designed for oily skin and so on.

Cleansing is a matter of preference but your skin type will guide you as I mentioned early, some people prefer the feel of water on their skin so a rinse off type of cleanser will suit them. But whatever way you cleanse your skin, cleanse it twice once to remove make up and the grime from the day and second to deep cleanse the skin. Which leads me on to eye make up remover. The skin around the eyes is very delicate and is the thinest skin thickness on our bodies so treat it with care. Do not treat it roughly or rub cleanser harshly around the eyes as this will stretch this delicate skin. Eye make up is designed for this sensitive area and not all facial cleansers suitable, check the packaging. Which leads on to all in one cleansers and wipes, these are fine short term but not ideal in the long term. Many of the wipes contain alcohol and irritate sensitive eye tissue and certainly the same wipe should not be used for both eyes due to the risk of cross infection, the same goes for cotton wool pads and tissues.

Toners do we need them? well if you use a water based rinse of cleanser no you don't as the water is suffice to tone and freshen the skin, but if you use a tissue off cleanser yes you do to remove any residue of cleanser and grime. These vary from hydrasols (i.e. rose water) to witch hazel, avoid alcohol on the face as it will remove the acid mantle.

It may surprise you to know that skin after the age of 25 is considered mature but after the age of 25 ageing signs start becoming apparent. Prevention is better than cure and a lot easier. We know from Part 1 how UV light contributes to ageing so be sure your moisturiser contains a sun protection level of at least 15 thats the first thing to be aware of. Drink plenty of water to maintain moisture levels and avoid caffeinated drinks as they are diuretics as encourage the kidneys to excrete more urine and can lead to dehydration. A good balanced diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables to give the cells the right nutrients. Avoid smoking I explained in an earlier article how this ages the skin and does so by ten years. And there is stress, now that is difficult to avoid but there are things you can do, you can lessen its affects by relaxation and I will be giving tips to avoid the damaging effects due to stress later.

Anti-wrinkle cremes, well if you read the earlier article in Part 1 no cosmetic can penetrate the epidermis, so I have to say ladies expensive skin cremes are a total waste of money. The only thing I would say is that avoid products with mineral oil as this oil sits on the surface of the skin, yes it traps the evaporation of moisture but it can block the pores but its fine to use on the body, instead use a vegetable oil based product and by that I don't mean 'Crisp and Dry' some examples are Almond oil, Jojoba oil, Olive oil. With expensive cremes you are paying for the packaging and nice jar. There are temporary anti-wrinkle fixers that work by temporarily tightening up the skin or have fillers and light reflective powders that soften the appearance of lines. Simple things like avoiding squinting in the sun or getting your eyes checked if you have difficulty in reading will prevent many a line forming around the eyes

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PSYCHIC QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

IS IT REALLY POSSIBLE TO FORECAST THE FUTURE AND OTHER QUESTIONS?

I am often asked various questions pertaining to the spirit world and various aspects of the psychic, here are some of them: I will in time feature more questions and answers as this webpage evolves

Q. Is a psychic or medium a fortune teller?

A. It may surprise you to know psychics and mediums are not fortune tellers

Q. Is it possible to forecast the future?

A.Well not 100% and this is because of free will.

Q. What is free will?

A. Free will is YOUR right to decide what you want to do about a situation, it is a choice

Q. How does free will affect a situation?

A. Well before we incarnate as Spirit in a human body, we decide on what experiences and challenges that will benefit our spiritual growth. However we are given the choice (free will) as to whether we go through with the experience or challenge. In effect we are allowed to change or mind.

Q. So are you saying we all know what lies before us?

A. Well in a way we all do. Remember we are 'Spirit' in a human body and your spirit does retain a memory but it is deep in our subconscious. This memory is retained deeply for a reason to help us fulfill our experiences and challenges we ourselves chose. However it is also at this deep level so we are not so aware. If you knew what lay before you would you go through with it? Probably not but we still retain this memory deeply and this reflects in our Aura.

Q. So what is the Aura?

A.The aura is The Aura is an electromagnetic field that surrounds living bodies, this includes people, animals, plants and crystals and is composed of several layers that are constantly moving. The Aura links us to whats known as Universal energy i.e. that is all the knowledge in the Universe past, present and future. It is on this aura that psychics are able to tap into and access your past, whats going on in the present and the possible future and I say possible specifically if your goal or desire is dependent on other people, for remember every person involved in a situation has free will.

Alexa debated with herself trying to reason why she had fallen for Andreas, she wasn’t even sure what he did for a living, all he told her was that he worked for the government, but doing what? He couldn’t have just been some government clerk, he must earn more than a clerk’s wages, for he was always well dressed and he seemed highly educated. Perhaps he worked higher up in government and when she did ask he always skilfully changed the subject. Just who was Andreas?

BOOK NEWS

Paperback & Kindle formats

A PSYCHIC AFFAIR

“It had been a difficult time, if I had any sense I wouldhave walked away. I could not make rhyme or reason whyI loved this man. I just knew I did. I knew this was adifferent kind of love, not the physical kind that beginswith lust but it really was on a deeper level, and this wasspiritual love where you wanted a kindred spirit to behappy. Where you want the best for them so much so youwill do anything to see them smile. It is the kind of love amother has for her child, the kind of love one sibling hasfor another, for a best friend and for a lover all wrappedup and bound in one package. It's very unselfish, non-judgmental, no conditions attached, no hidden agendas,totally unconditional love: this is spiritual love”.

List Price: $12.60

6" x 9" (15.24 x 22.86 cm)

Black & White on Cream paper

340 pages

ISBN-13: 978-1719218481 ISBN-10: 171921848X

BISAC: Fiction / Romance / Paranormal

Maryann and John live thousands of miles apart on different continents, they have never met, this does not stop them having an intimate relationship. What is different about this relationship is that it's conducted psychically.

To the reader this book may seem more of “A Psychic Manual” than a novel, especially so to readers who have no experience in psychic phenomena, but in order to understand what went on between the characters I felt I had to explain how the phenomena occurred, as this phenomena can actually happen in real life and not purely in fiction...

SOME REVIEWS FOR 'AN ANGEL'S FEATHER'

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THE AIMS OF THIS SITE

This blog is about making the most of what nature has bestowed on us and how to achieve well-being and beauty within ourselves, inside and out.

In this blog I shall explore how we can achieve inner harmony for unless we feel good about ourselves how can we pass that on to others. Stress is the main cause of ill health in the western world, not only does it rob ourselves of our health, it affects how we look and leads to premature ageing. So to make the most of what nature has bestowed upon us we have to approach this from the inside, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. This is my holistic approach to achieving the best we can be.

When I mention spiritually I am not talking about a specific religion or set of beliefs, for every religion mentions the spiritual side of us and in holistic therapies, which is the approach of this blog, we are mind, body and spirit, essentially we are spirit within a human body. If we tackle this part of us we will achieve inner harmony and that will reflect on the outside and give us that beautiful glow.

It's also about achieving inner confidence, we can achieve this by caring for ourselves, good grooming is not being vain, far from it, its about maintaining our health, caring for our hair, nails and feet and keeping them free from infection. When we feel good about ourselves, we feel good about others, it raises our self esteem and gives us a buzz.

Remember the views and opinions of these pages are MY views and opinions and you don't have to agree with them. This is MY Holistic approach to looking and feeling good

REMEMBER WITH ALL SPELL WORK BE AWARE OF UNIVERSAL LAWS

ABOUT ME

https://www.about.me/astrid_brown

Biography

Astrid Brown is an author and a professional psychic/medium. Having a background in nursing she became interested in many holistic therapies, became a Reiki master and went on to become a college lecturer in holistic studies. Much of her work is inspired and channeled from spirit so it often has a philosophical slant. She writes periodically for online magazines and works for a large international psychic company as a medium. She resides in the UK.

'PUT SIMPLY JUST LOVE VOL. THREE' AUTHORED BY ASTRID BROWN

A collection of poetry of the many forms of love. Love can be so different but the most perfect true and pure is unconditional love, it has no preconditions nor does it judge, this type of love is like spiritual love for spiritual love never wanes but is eternal and all forgiving. You will find all these types of love within this book and I am certain there will be poetry here that will resonate with you. Some of the poetry is sad, others happy expressing the joy of love and will uplift.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Its thought provoking and humorous. Open your mind to a different way of thinking. Nothing is ever as straightforward as it appears. Looking forward to reading more of Astrid's work.

I would recommend reading this novel or any novel written by Astrid April 12, 2018

What a book!! Very informative! If ever given the chance to have a reading done by Astrid, I would not hesitate to say yes please! I would recommend reading this novel or any novel written by Astrid!! Can't wait for the next one!!

I luv this book and it makes total sense to me that we go on living our souls journey after the death of our bodies. I believe that God made us and breathed life into us by placing us each with a soul to start-up our bodies.Kind of like a computer being built and programmed but until its got juice from a plug or batteries -it won't start. Just a thought.

Dear J is a compilation of poems depicting love in its finest hour. The author, Maggie Brown exquisitely provides the readers with every morsel she savoured on her own when she loved this man we know as "J." It is riveting to say the least and very inspirational. Each poem takes the reader through the series of experiences one actual has when love innundates our soul. Jubilation, anger, passion, and torment in her lines only...Read More

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